Support for Carter

I've put up this page because I need to ask for some help for a very dear friend of mine.

In May 2021, Carter Cockerill fell down some stairs and was unconscious. When he came to, he didn't feel right, so his wife took him to the ER.

Between June and January, he saw four doctors, had MRIs, CT Scans, X-Rays, and biopsies, and he's been in and out of the ICU; you name it, he's gone through it.

The diagnosis has been a combination of esophageal cancer, cerebral (brain) atrophy, and an auto-immune disease called 'Scleroderma' - a condition that affects his skin and internal organs and makes daily life painful and hard. Everyday tasks are becoming increasingly more difficult as he deals with significant muscle atrophy and swelling that impedes him from using his hands to do things we would take for granted.

His main debilitating issue is his brain atrophy. It causes him to have prolonged seizures throughout the day. It's why he can't work, it's why he can't drive, it's why he falls, and it's why he sometimes forgets recent memories.

Lately, his seizures have gotten worse, and his falls more frequent. Much love to everyone who comes by the house and hangs with him, but now he needs to hire some help to make sure he doesn't end up seriously hurting himself when no one is home, so we're asking for some help from friends, family and from anyone who can help.

The donations will also help with some day-to-day medical expenses - driving back and forth for appointments, parking fees, already incurred ambulance costs, possibly some modifications to the home to assist with mobility, and so on. Funds will also be used to cover some of the costs associated for a home care nurse.

This is a hard time to give, and it kills him to ask for financial assistance, but this is where we are.

Those who know Carter well know he is too proud to ask for help like this. Always a worker, always a fighter, it hurts him right now not to be able to earn a living that he was earning no longer than a year ago.

The idea behind this fundraiser is to give Carter some head space. Let him concentrate on his children, his newly-wed wife, and the medical road ahead, hopefully reducing some of the daily pain and issues he experiences and make life just a little bit easier.

Finally, if you haven't touched base with Carter and are in the area, you can message me, and I'll be more than happy to connect you. He'll happily take a phone call if you can't be there in person. He remembers everything from days past, and I'm sure he'd love to reminisce.

From Carter: "Thank you all for taking the time to read this. Love to all of you. Peace."